Injustice matters and we all have the obligation to solve the problem.

Month: November 2016

If you’re reading this, you know my opinions. If you’re reading this, you know that the election is near over. And if you’re reading this, you’re probably curious about what the future holds. And, believe it or not, you have a say in that future.

Yes, Trump is leading and will probably win the United States Presidential Election of 2016. Yes, the House and the Senate are pretty red. But you can have a say in the future of this country.

If you voted, for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or a third party nominee, you have added your voice to history. If you didn’t vote, you have wasted your right to exercise your voice, a right which millions have died for and continue to die for. Although I do believe in the incredible freedom that we have in this country to choose what we do, I cannot understand why you have wasted your right. I’m not sure if you thought that this election was unimportant or if you were ‘protesting,’ but I urge you to take a look at the closeness

I highly doubt no matter who you voted for, that you agree with 100% of their political, economic, and social stances. It is for that reason, why I urge you, even if your preferred candidate has won the election, that you continue to use your voice.

Use your voice to protest the vetting of Muslims or to continue to learn more about a terrorist organization that does not represent a religion.

Use your voice to fight for the protection of Roe v. Wade or to fight for your belief in a fetus’s rights.

Use your voice to understand the implications of fracking and pipelines on the environment or go to ND to stand up for a marginalized community.

Use your voice to utilize your freedom of speech and increase awareness of your fact-based opinions on platforms that are not only Facebook and Twitter.

Use your voice to fight for the BLM movement or don’t…though I can’t understand why.

Use your voice to understand the implications of Russia’s actions during this election and learn more about the one-sided hacking that Russia has gotten away with. We need to worry about this.

Use your voice to call for an increase in gun restriction laws or practice gun safety with your own firearms.

Use your voice to fight against prejudice on the LGBTQI community or learn more about your religious leaders’ views about tolerance to this community of human beings.

Use your voice to have a dialogue with other Americans in a productive way to learn about their opposing views.

Use your voice to rally behind a cause you believe in, and do not sway or support silently.

I can’t tell you what to believe in. No one can force opinions into a person’s mind. But I sincerely urge you to use your amazing gift of freedom to learn about different viewpoints. I urge you to not rant on Facebook for four years. I urge you to go to Standing Rock, to go to a BLM event, or to sign your name on petitions. I urge you to respect the human dignity of your fellow American citizens, though you do not agree with their values.

As an American citizen, you get to read and learn and speak and scream and stand and VOTE for what you believe is right. Have the courage to stand up for everything and anything. Do not complain or go by idly for an entire presidential term.

And, to all of the Trump supporters and to my friends who voted for him:

I do not agree with your values, ideas, or beliefs that coincide with his, but I do respect you and your right to an opinion. I hope that you can respect my right to my voice, which is all I can ask. I congratulate you on your preferred candidate’s win, but now we are faced with the difficult task of uniting an incredibly divided country. A country that is angry and in pain.

I truly believe in the power of our voices, and I hope you do as well. Today, I don’t stand with him or her. I stand with a country that is in need of change and unity. I hope you do as well.